Maxilius, High Priest “You there, how many times do I have to tell you? Don’t struggle with the suit, let it do the work for you.” Maxilius, High Priest of The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, was tired from training his new Four. They had never had experience using powered suits before so he had to go through the exhausting process of re-training his four best Horsemen to be able to use their new armor. Ever since some MPD officers had killed his Four a year back, he has been trying to do his best to train a new Four. What upset him the most was that his own son had been one of the previous Four as Death. Maxilius had been proud, back in the days when he dealt punishment to the wicked, he had been Death in a Four that had wiped out the former Twin Cities. On his way to Milwaukee he had cleansed Madison and now he could not deal with this spit of a town.
“Call it a night my sons. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and you don’t want to over work yourselves.” The Four bowed to Maxilius and left, leaving Maxilius to his thoughts. Moving methodically, Maxilius puts the training suits away and cleans up, trying to do anything to think more about his son. Long ago he swore he would get revenge on the sinner who had killed his Four, but most importantly his son. If he ever finds out who had killed his son they would not know death, he would live as long as possible, forced to endure the most horrific of tortures.
After the room was cleaned up, Maxilius went downstairs to the chapel to pray. This old church they had found was large and proved quite fit for the mission. While Hart’s Mill wasn’t the most ideal of locations, Maxilius preferred to use certain churches as sanctuary. As he entered the chapel the smell of death and blood overwhelmed him and he felt intoxicated. With the whole space painted in blood and adorned with the mutilated bodies of sinners, it almost feels like home. As he kneels before the broken cross, he removes his robes and pours the Goblet of Sin over himself. As the blood ran over his body he felt refreshed and spiritually cleansed.
“God is in his heaven, all is right with the world. He maketh me to take up arms. This is the time of The Lord’s rest, we men must finish the task set before us. Let all who doubt the path burn in the fires of Hell forever. In the name of our patron, Father Patrick. He who started us down the path during the great plague. He who read the signs in the stars and in our hearts and led us to rid the world of all who would defy God by living. In His name we pray, Amen.”
Having completed his nightly prayer, Maxilius made his way down to the basement quickly. In order for things to be right, he must complete the ritual before the blood dries. As he made his way down the hall he could hear the cries of the sinners who were locked up in the former choir practice room. It is here that he must complete the ritual. Two Horsemen were standing guard both inside and outside the doors and bowed deeply as he was allowed in. When he entered, the slaves all looked towards him and as always, stared at his naked form covered in blood. Then they began to scream. As always Maxilius spoke in a calm fatherly tone to them.
“Children please remain calm and quiet. You are here to erase the sins on your soul. Your greatest sin is living in a time when no one should be living. We horsemen have accepted that we are sinners too, but we have taken up the mission, to erase sin from the world. We will be cleansed of sin, and you can be too.” As he finished Maxilius’ eyes came to rest on a young woman. She began crying as she meets his eyes and Maxilius walks slowly to her. He begins stroking her cheek as he kneels next to her. The two guards help move the woman to the center of the room to a cot and they tie her down.
Maxilius looked the woman over, appreciating the gentle curves of her body. He brings her lips to hers, covering her mouth with his. She begins to silently sob as he runs his hands, moist with blood, over her body. As he mounts her, he gives an appraising look over the lines of blood his fingers left over her perfect skin. After a few minutes, Maxilius expels his sin into her, saying a prayer while slitting her throat. Without looking back at her, Maxilius walks up and speaks to the guards.
“Her soul is now free of the sin of the body. God will let her rest in heaven now. Take the body and hang it above the altar. Let her body drain the sin in her blood into the Goblet of Sin.”
As he left the room, he could hear the guards removing the corpse and he wrapped his robe around himself again. Maxilius made his way up to the shower and cleaned the blood off of himself. As he returned to his room he thought again about his son. How could a sinner so easily have defeated the Four? How could anyone have killed his son? All Maxilius had to go on was a description from a half dead War of two men who used to be MPD. War was useless as one of the Four after that and he was reassigned as a scout. As this was one of the worst humiliations possible in the Horsemen. Stripped of his name of War, he is now Octavius.
A knock at the door brings Maxilius back to himself and he tells them to come in. Maxilius feels disdain for the scouts, barely better than the sinning raiders. The scout bows low and murmurs a prayer.
“Father there is news you need to hear. A scouting party to the West encountered a group of people. When they engaged them, they used explosives and escaped. Octavius told us that two of them were the men who killed the last Death. He is ready to lead us to him.”
Maxilius begins to grin as he hears the news and thanks God for the blessing he has given. He takes up his staff with a determination he has not known for a year. They will hunt him down and erase his son, after years of torture.
“You there, how many times do I have to tell you? Don’t struggle with the suit, let it do the work for you.” Maxilius, High Priest of The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, was tired from training his new Four. They had never had experience using powered suits before so he had to go through the exhausting process of re-training his four best Horsemen to be able to use their new armor. Ever since some MPD officers had killed his Four a year back, he has been trying to do his best to train a new Four. What upset him the most was that his own son had been one of the previous Four as Death. Maxilius had been proud, back in the days when he dealt punishment to the wicked, he had been Death in a Four that had wiped out the former Twin Cities. On his way to Milwaukee he had cleansed Madison and now he could not deal with this spit of a town.
“Call it a night my sons. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and you don’t want to over work yourselves.” The Four bowed to Maxilius and left, leaving Maxilius to his thoughts. Moving methodically, Maxilius puts the training suits away and cleans up, trying to do anything to think more about his son. Long ago he swore he would get revenge on the sinner who had killed his Four, but most importantly his son. If he ever finds out who had killed his son they would not know death, he would live as long as possible, forced to endure the most horrific of tortures.
After the room was cleaned up, Maxilius went downstairs to the chapel to pray. This old church they had found was large and proved quite fit for the mission. While Hart’s Mill wasn’t the most ideal of locations, Maxilius preferred to use certain churches as sanctuary. As he entered the chapel the smell of death and blood overwhelmed him and he felt intoxicated. With the whole space painted in blood and adorned with the mutilated bodies of sinners, it almost feels like home. As he kneels before the broken cross, he removes his robes and pours the Goblet of Sin over himself. As the blood ran over his body he felt refreshed and spiritually cleansed.
“God is in his heaven, all is right with the world. He maketh me to take up arms. This is the time of The Lord’s rest, we men must finish the task set before us. Let all who doubt the path burn in the fires of Hell forever. In the name of our patron, Father Patrick. He who started us down the path during the great plague. He who read the signs in the stars and in our hearts and led us to rid the world of all who would defy God by living. In His name we pray, Amen.”
Having completed his nightly prayer, Maxilius made his way down to the basement quickly. In order for things to be right, he must complete the ritual before the blood dries. As he made his way down the hall he could hear the cries of the sinners who were locked up in the former choir practice room. It is here that he must complete the ritual. Two Horsemen were standing guard both inside and outside the doors and bowed deeply as he was allowed in. When he entered, the slaves all looked towards him and as always, stared at his naked form covered in blood. Then they began to scream. As always Maxilius spoke in a calm fatherly tone to them.
“Children please remain calm and quiet. You are here to erase the sins on your soul. Your greatest sin is living in a time when no one should be living. We horsemen have accepted that we are sinners too, but we have taken up the mission, to erase sin from the world. We will be cleansed of sin, and you can be too.” As he finished Maxilius’ eyes came to rest on a young woman. She began crying as she meets his eyes and Maxilius walks slowly to her. He begins stroking her cheek as he kneels next to her. The two guards help move the woman to the center of the room to a cot and they tie her down.
Maxilius looked the woman over, appreciating the gentle curves of her body. He brings her lips to hers, covering her mouth with his. She begins to silently sob as he runs his hands, moist with blood, over her body. As he mounts her, he gives an appraising look over the lines of blood his fingers left over her perfect skin. After a few minutes, Maxilius expels his sin into her, saying a prayer while slitting her throat. Without looking back at her, Maxilius walks up and speaks to the guards.
“Her soul is now free of the sin of the body. God will let her rest in heaven now. Take the body and hang it above the altar. Let her body drain the sin in her blood into the Goblet of Sin.”
As he left the room, he could hear the guards removing the corpse and he wrapped his robe around himself again. Maxilius made his way up to the shower and cleaned the blood off of himself. As he returned to his room he thought again about his son. How could a sinner so easily have defeated the Four? How could anyone have killed his son? All Maxilius had to go on was a description from a half dead War of two men who used to be MPD. War was useless as one of the Four after that and he was reassigned as a scout. As this was one of the worst humiliations possible in the Horsemen. Stripped of his name of War, he is now Octavius.
A knock at the door brings Maxilius back to himself and he tells them to come in. Maxilius feels disdain for the scouts, barely better than the sinning raiders. The scout bows low and murmurs a prayer.
“Father there is news you need to hear. A scouting party to the West encountered a group of people. When they engaged them, they used explosives and escaped. Octavius told us that two of them were the men who killed the last Death. He is ready to lead us to him.”
Maxilius begins to grin as he hears the news and thanks God for the blessing he has given. He takes up his staff with a determination he has not known for a year. They will hunt him down and erase his son, after years of torture.